As Steve Spagnuolo rushed out of the Giants locker room yesterday afternoon, he was surprised to see a large media contingent waiting in the dank hallway. He explained he couldn’t stop to chat, saying, “I got to go to work.”

Spagnuolo shook his head and smiled as he hurried to the door of the defensive linemen meeting room. He turned the doorknob. It was locked. “They already changed the locks,” Spagnuolo was told. He smiled again, knocked on the door and got no answer. The linemen already had exited the room, unbeknownst to the Giants defensive coordinator.

In hot demand, Spagnuolo will speak on Saturday to the Jets about their vacant head-coaching position and also is being pursued by the Browns and Lions. Asked if he was flattered that his top defensive assistant is such a strong candidate, Tom Coughlin said, “I don’t know about the word ‘flattering.’ Am I surprised by it? Of course not. Not at all. So we will see where that goes. Steve is very, very well thought of by our organization and he knows that.”

Is Coughlin fearful that Spagnuolo will be distracted by all this as the Giants gear up for their Jan. 11 playoff game?

“No, not at all,” he said. “He doesn’t miss a beat.”

Out of respect, players have not broached the subject with Spagnuolo.

“He’s a professional, and at the end of the day, he’s the defensive coordinator of the New York Giants,” linebacker Danny Clark said. “That’s how he carried himself. That’s a testament to him, regardless of all the speculation, he’s going to gear down and handle his job.”

Clark is convinced Spagnuolo is the right man for any team searching for a new head man.

“He prepares like no other,” Clark said. “At the end of the day, our defense speaks for itself and it comes from the top. [It’s] his attention to detail, the same reason why Tom Coughlin is a great head coach. He’s passionate. He’s a guy who leads with his heart. He’s smart. He’ll make a great head coach. I want him to stay.”

If he goes, he will be missed, but not only for what he brings to the table.